Shaun Derry is encouraging his Cambridge United side to play with freedom as the Sky Bet League Two campaign enters its final quarter.

United go into today’s game at high-flying Carlisle seven points adrift of the play-offs with 12 matches left.

But he wants his side to show off how good he feels they can be to stay on the trail of the top seven.

He said: “The resilience I’d like us to show is just really backing each other up and acknowledging and understanding that we’ve got some good players here.

“For me, it’s to give them the green light to go and express themselves knowing that if there are any mistakes that are going to be made, and of course there are, that they can respond really quickly and get back on the horse, so to speak, and not get too down or too despondent with the things that go against us.

“We’re going to encounter that between now and the end of the season.

“It’s not always going to go Cambridge United’s way because everyone has got an agenda, so my message to the team for the last 12 games is ‘go and express yourselves’ because I really want them to do that.”